BBC4 to be cut by end of the year

[Dave2002]

Interesting tweet (and ensuing comments in response to her) from Suzy Klein:

https://twitter.com/suzyklein/status...748955653?s=21

Phillip Pullman has indicated he'll support petitions, such as this one - https://www.change.org/p/british-bro...7-3c764e048845

[teamsaint]

But keep 24 hour news.

I think we all know why.

[Serial_Apologist]

But keep 24 hour news.

I think we all know why.

Keep saying, "No more BBC4 is what the people of Manchester keep telling us they want - we recently found this out when we stepped outside our new headquarters".

[Jonathan]

Well there is a petition started (according to the Twitter feed) so I have signed!

[johnb]

This is truly depressing news.

BBC4 is a fundamental part of what public broadcasting should be and to lose it would be a tragic loss.

(Admittedly, using the word "tragic" about the loss of BBC4 jars when we are in the middle of such difficult times.)

[DracoM]

Well there is a petition started (according to the Twitter feed) so I have signed!

Yes, me too.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

The BBC has become a feeble organisation.
It's desperate to be liked at any cost.
It's devoid of ideas.
It's never wrong.
Many all of its so-called 'developments' in recent years have been copycat versions of other channels: News 24 (Sky), Breakfast TV (ITV), today's Radio 3 (CFM).

Boom and bust isn't sustainable. The BBC had just one TV channel - then two. Along came two children's channels, and News 24. There was one radio station, then two more. Then the BBC took over pirate radio to create Radio 1, and a whole plethora of local stations cropped up, later with commercial competition. All this inflated the costs for the BBC.

It couldn't go on for ever. Now we reap the lack of foresight.

[LMcD]

Yes, me too.

I've signed, but I'm not holding my breath ....

[Count Boso]

It couldn't go on for ever. Now we reap the lack of foresight.

In fairness, they want to channel the resources on underserved young audiences who only have Radio 1 - and 1 Extra and the Asian network for young BAME audiences, and BBC 3 online, and 6 Music for Middle Youth. And the kiddies' channels.

I suspect it will be like when they were going to drop 6Music. The audience for Top of the Pops (have they started rebroadcasting Six Five Special and Juke Box Jury yet?) will kick up a fuss and they'll cave in.

[Lordgeous]

How does one find the petition without using the dreaded Twitter, Facebook et al?

[Serial_Apologist]

How does one find the petition without using the dreaded Twitter, Facebook et al?

I'm wondering that too. I use Facebook but this is too big a campaigning issue to be restricted in this way.

[johnb]

How does one find the petition without using the dreaded Twitter, Facebook et al?

The petition referred to by Janina Ramirez in Suzy Klein's twitter is: https://www.change.org/p/british-bro...b-b37f6fd1ad85

There might be other petitions out there but this is the only one I know of.

[LHC]

The petition referred to in Suzy Klein's twitter is: https://www.change.org/p/british-bro...b-b37f6fd1ad85

When I signed the petition last night, it had 1,900 signatures. It now has over 15,000, which is good to see. The more people that sign, the harder it will be for the BBC to ignore.

[Braunschlag]

The BBC has become a feeble organisation.
It's desperate to be liked at any cost.
It's devoid of ideas.
It's never wrong.
Many all of its so-called 'developments' in recent years have been copycat versions of other channels: News 24 (Sky), Breakfast TV (ITV), today's Radio 3 (CFM).

Boom and bust isn't sustainable. The BBC had just one TV channel - then two. Along came two children's channels, and News 24. There was one radio station, then two more. Then the BBC took over pirate radio to create Radio 1, and a whole plethora of local stations cropped up, later with commercial competition. All this inflated the costs for the BBC.

It couldn't go on for ever. Now we reap the lack of foresight.

Succinctly put

[ardcarp]

It's desperate to be liked at any cost.

It is odd that 'a public broadcater' should be so driven (a) by viewing/listening figures and (b) by currying favour with 'the young'.
The Young are free-agents, surfing the net at will (and good for them), so I don't see why a and b above should somehow be linked in the the BBC's obsessive corporate mind.